The Halls of Hogwarts
by Shallan
Summary: There's a dance at Hogwarts... Who will Ginny go with? Will she go with Colin Creevey or Neville Longbottom and get her feet trounced on? H/G, with a touch of R/H.
1. The Announcement

The Halls of Hogwarts

By: Shallan

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Disclaimer: It's not mine, it's J.K. Rowling's.

Chapter One: The Announcement 

Ginny Weasley rushed through the halls of Hogwarts to the Great Hall. She was late because she had overslept. _Why didn't Gwen wake me?_

Her thoughts were interrupted as she turned a corner and was knocked to the floor with a thud and a flurry of red hair, her books, parchment and quills scattering about her.

"Ginny?"

She looked up into Harry Potter's concerned green eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked reaching out to help her up. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay." She took Harry's hand and cast aside the thought of getting to the Great Hall for a piece of toast and getting to her classes on time.

Shoving long red locks of hair away from her face, Ginny hurriedly began gathering her books.

Harry also bent down and picked up her things. She took them from him and stuffed them back in her bag. _I really need to get a bigger one_, she thought absently.

Ginny looked back up at Harry and smiled gratefully. "Thanks for helping me."

"It's the least I could do, considering I'm the one who caused you to drop everything."

"Thanks again, anyway." She glanced at her watch and her eyes widened in horror. "I have to go!" And she dashed off leaving Harry behind looking after her in bemusement.

~

"So why didn't you wake me this morning?"

Gwen flushed and lowered her eyes sheepishly. "I got up early this morning, before anyone else… how was I to know you would oversleep?"

Ginny gave her a considering look.

Then Gwen brightened. "Guess what was announced at breakfast?" She looked at her expectantly.

"Mmm… Snape resigned?" She arched a brow.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "No! There's going to be a dance!" She beamed.

Ginny groaned.

Gwen frowned. "What's the matter?"

"The dance! What if Colin Creevey or Neville Longbottom asks me?"

"Well, they're both very nice…"

"Yes, they're very nice, but neither of them can dance."

"Ginny! There's more to someone than how well they can dance!"

She shot Gwen an exasperated look. "I know that! But I just don't like to have my feet trounced on."

Gwen leaned back. "Oh. Well, I can't help you there."

Ginny sighed. _I hope someone will ask me before they do… Wait_, her eyes gleamed. _Why do I have to wait for someone to ask _me_?_

~

Every time Neville or Colin approached her, Ginny ducked into an empty room or down another hall. She felt a bit guilty, but she knew how her feet would feel if she went to the dance with one of them.

"You can't run away forever, you know."

Ginny turned around to find Hermione behind her. She smiled weakly. "Hi."

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

She sighed. "I know, but I keep thinking of the Yule Ball I went to with Neville."

Hermione smiled at her. "Someone else may ask you. You never know. Or don't wait, ask someone yourself."

"I had thought of that."

"There's your answer then."

Ginny couldn't help but wonder if Ron would ever come to his senses and ask Hermione to the dance.

"Who are you going with?" she asked curiously.

"No one yet," she said casually, though she glanced down the hall.

Ginny followed her gaze and saw Ron and Harry standing together talking. _Ah ha!_ She thought triumphantly.

She tilted her head and said innocently, "Couldn't Viktor come?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to inconvenience him."

Ginny saw right through her. Hermione wanted Ron to ask her. _Oblivious prat._

She talked with Hermione a little longer, then made her way towards Gryffindor Tower.

As she walked down another deserted hall she saw Harry a few paces in front of her.

An idea ran through her head. She immediately discarded it. _Ridiculous._ She had taken a few steps when she reconsidered. _Perhaps not so ridiculous…_

She quickly caught up to Harry. "Hey Harry."

"Hi Ginny." He smiled at her.

"I was wondering, would you like to go to the dance with me?"

Harry blinked and stared at her a moment, surprise evident in his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier than usual. He looked slightly flustered.

"Er, sure."

Ginny grinned at him."Great! Bye!" She turned and walked away, once again leaving Harry staring after her in bemusement. 

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A/N: I had been planning on having Harry ask Ginny to the dance. In fact, I had it all typed up then I remembered an episode of Boy Meets World where there was a Sadie Hawkins dance. Topanga said she wouldn't go because the dance implied that any other time a girl couldn't ask a boy… So I thought, why couldn't _Ginny_ ask Harry, rather than waiting around for someone to ask her? 


	2. The News and Dress Robes

The Halls of Hogwarts

By: Shallan

****

A/N: I'm really sorry this took so long to get posted, but my computer died and I had to wait for the new one to arrive. Just so you know, Ginny is in 4th year and Harry, Hermione, and Ron are in 5th year. **Ishy, Jess, MarsMoonStar, lily girl, Kiwi, Kate, griff gal, and amaia riddle, **thank you so much for reviewing. I really appreciate it.

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Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Chapter Two: The News and Dress Robes

Ginny was perched on her bed, practicing Transfiguration when, for the first time, she thought of Ron and his possible reactions to her going to the dance with Harry. _He could throw a fit, or think Harry was just being nice to me, _her warm brown eyes took on a speculative glint. _Or even be happy for me. _She snorted.

There was a knock on the door and Hermione entered.

Ginny smiled in greeting and set her Transfiguration book aside.

"Are you busy?" Hermione asked.

"No, not at all." She deliberately ignored the book lying on her bed.

Hermione glanced at it, but didn't comment. "Ron asked Harry if he ad a date for the dance yet," Ginny watched her, carefully keeping her face blank. "He eventually managed to weedle out that you had asked him. Gave Ron a bit of a surprise, that did. I think it's still sinking in."

"He doesn't seem mad?"

"No… at first he thought it was a joke."

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "So he thought I wouldn't ask Harry to go with me?"

Hermione sat beside her on the bed. "Well, for the past couple of years, you have been blushing and stammering whenever he was around. I want to hear your side of it. What made you walk up to Harry and ask him to go to the dance with you?"

She smiled. "I was walking back to Gryffindor Tower after talking with you, when I noticed Harry in front of me. I had been thinking about the dance and I decided to ask him."

Hermione leaned forward slightly. "You didn't even think he might say no?"

Ginny blinked. "I never even thought of that," she said slowly.

She regarded Ginny with amusement. "I may take a page out of your book."

Her eyes gleamed with interest. "Who?" she asked, though she had a pretty good idea.

"You'll just have to wait and find out."

~

Hermione was right about Ron. He often frowned at her, but appeared to be thinking the matter thoroughly through, for once. It also seemed that no one but Hermione, Ron, Harry and herself were the only ones who knew. She hadn't even told Gwen. At least, no one else had commented. 

When Ginny entered the common room, she saw that it was empty, except for Ron and Hermione, who seemed to be having an argument - _Surprise, surprise, _Ginny thought - and hadn't noticed her come in.

As she settled into an overstuffed armchair she couldn't help but over hear them.

"So you think I'm overreacting?"

"Yes!"

"Ginny is my little sister, I don't want her getting hurt!" She frowned. _Now I can't take care of myself?_

"Ron, do you honestly think _Harry _is going to hurt her?" Hermione didn't seem angry with him, but rather exasperated. _Which is understandable._

"Well, no, I guess not…" Ron said reluctantly.

"Exactly! You have nothing to worry about, and should be happy for them."

A group of chattering Gryffindors came through the portrait hole and drowned out Ron's reply.

~

Later that evening she saw Ron talking with Harry. Usually, this would have seemed normal, but after overhearing that conversation, she watched them cautiously. She was aware that occasionally one of them cast her a surreptious look. All the while, Ron's ears were pink.

Gwen plopped in a chair across from Ginny, hooking light blonde hair behind her ears. "Do you have a date for the dance, yet?"

"Yes."

Gwen's lavender-blue eyes sparkled. "Who?"

She grinned. "You'll have to wait until the dance."

The other girl's eyes widened. "He's not a Slytherin, is he?"

"Of course not."

Gwen blew out a relieved breath. "Okay, then. Do you have dress robes yet?"

Ginny paused. She'd completely forgotten about dress robes! "No."

"We'll have to do something about that. Next Hogsmeade weekend we should get our dress robes."

~ 

Gwen had Ginny try on so many robes she couldn't keep track of them all. Gwen had almost immediately found purple dress robes for herself that made her eyes even more lavender than usual. 

Gwen studied Ginny for several long moments, then turned back to the rack.

"At least we know no yellows, pinks or reds…" She trailed off as she pulled several robes in varying shades of blue and green off the rack. "Do you know what color he's wearing?"

Another thing she hadn't thought of. "No."

"Let's just hope he doesn't wear red."

"He might just wear his robes from last year."

"True… what color were they?"

"Green."

Gwen looked at the robes she had in her hands. "No green, then. You want contrast…" She picked a couple of white robes.

"White? Won't that just make me look even paler?"

"Not necessarily."

She put on a white robe. _You can't even tell where the robe begins, _she thought.

"Guess not," Gwen said. Then her eyes lit up. "Gold!" She rushed off. She came back with a gold robe.

Ginny eyed it dubiously but she put it on anyway. She stepped up to the mirror and studied her reflection. The robe was made of a floaty material and clung to her curves. 

Gwen beamed. "That's the one!"


	3. Preparations

The Halls of Hogwarts

By Shallan

****

A/N: I'm really, really sorry I haven't updated sooner, but I have writer's block. I decided to give you this much, at least, rather than trying to write about the dance as well. That would've taken longer. **psycho bird man, goodbooks3989, Tinabedina, Myshawolf, Munku-JGSPTV **(I have no idea how guys' minds work, so I always stick with a female perspective). Thank you for the reviews!

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Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Chapter Three - Preparations

It was the night of the dance and Ginny stood in front of a mirror trying to decide what to do with her hair. She sighed and grabbed a pot of gold eye shadow and smudged some on her eyelids. 

__

Maybe I should just curl it? She tilted her head. _Or leave it the way it is?_ Ginny twined a lock around her fingers. _Or, when in doubt, ask Gwen._

She left the bathroom and went back to her dorm. "Gwen?"

Gwen turned from rummaging through her trunk. "You look fabulous!" she exclaimed.

"Thanks. So do you." Gwen beamed happily. "I need your help. I can't decide what to do with my hair."

She studied Ginny carefully. "I know the perfect thing." She took out her wand and murmured a spell. Ginny's hair spun into soft romantic waves. Gwen ave her an appraising look and cast another spell. Scattered throughout the mass of Ginny's hair were tiny crystal gems.

She smiled in relief. "Thanks Gwen."

"Any time!" she chirped cheerfully.

Ginny moved back to the mirror to check for any finishing touches. She took a tube of peach lip gloss and ran it lightly over her lips.

Satisfied, she turned and saw Hermione enter hesitantly. She was wearing deep red robes. Her hair was loosely curled, the top half pulled into a messy bun with soft, wavy strands framing her face, the rest was left loose. Her lips were slicked with berry-colored gloss, her eyes smudged with pink-red shadow.

"You look wonderful," Ginny said sincerely.

"Thank you." Hermione fairly glowed. "You're hair looks great."

"Compliments of Gwen."

Hermione nodded, smiling slightly. Gwen was well-known for her sense of fashion and she would help or give advice to anyone.

Hermione smiled a trifle mischievously. "Shall we go down, then?"

Ginny nodded, and they made their way to the stairs to the common room.

As they descended, Ginny caught sight of Harry, wearing last year's green robes, goggling.

She grinned, delighted with his reaction. _I needn't have worried at all._

She slid her gaze over to Ron, absently noting the new dark blue robes, who was similarly gaping at Hermione, ears bright red.

Her gaze returned to Harry as he muttered, "You look great," blushing furiously.

She grinned again, and replied, "Thanks, so do you."

Ginny heard her brother mumble a compliment to Hermione and thought, _Good for her._

As they turned to go out the portrait hole, she saw Gwen with a stunned expression, which quickly turned into a beaming one. Ginny flashed a quick smile as she disappeared.


End file.
